Time to Pretend by Michele Zurlo Read Free Book Online Page A

problems that were more serious than what prompted him to replace his entire roof. The storm had blown off a relatively small section of shingles. Elsewhere, scattered gaps showed where a shingle or two had come loose.
    The tarp hadn’t been nailed down. Heavy bricks were left, unsecured, to keep it from flying away in the wind. The wind had already used the tarp as leverage to move one of the bricks to the edge of the roof. One more good gust, and it would fall on whomever happened to be standing in the driveway.
    Of course, all of that was nothing compared to the complete absence of tar paper, or “black stuff,” as Alaina had phrased it. The plywood beneath the shingles was soaked. In some places where Daniel picked up shingles, he found it completely rotted through. He needed to get inside. At the very least, he needed to see the attic. She probably had damage down the inside of her walls all the way to the basement. He would need to check that as well.
    He nailed down the edges of the tarp and swore liberally. He would need at least four more tarps. As creative and impossible expletives fell from his lips, he glanced over at the garage. Was it locked?
    Time to Pretend
    45
    At that moment, it turned out to not matter. As he watched, the door lifted, and Alaina’s car pulled into the driveway. A minute later, the door closed. Daniel watched the side door of the detached garage with an urgency that couldn’t be denied. There was no doubt in his mind she was going to be upset when she saw him on her roof. Lainie didn’t like to be taken by surprise.
    Of course, he loved taking her by surprise. It was the only time he felt her reaction wasn’t weighted and measured. It was truth. Alaina dealt in reality, but it was the kind of her own making. He badly wanted to bring her into his world.
    After an eternity, that door opened. Sunlight glinted from her hair, highlighting the spectrum of reds and browns she sported. She had pulled it back, as she always did, pressed tight to her head. He wanted to see it free, to watch it burst into dark flames.
    She wore, as she frequently did, a grey skirt that reached to her calves and a white blouse. In deference to the heat, it was short-sleeved, the neckline plunged, and it pulled tight enough to outline her breasts.
    She was so different from the women he usually dated, women who had no problem wearing clothes out of which they needed to be peeled.
    Shockingly, Alaina wore heels instead of flats. Daniel tilted his head, estimating them to be a whole two inches high. His jeans were growing tight. It was time for that inevitable confrontation that would make them loose again. He hated arguing with her, but every conversation they had tended to end that way. At least she hadn’t thrown his apology in his face and stalked away Saturday.
    He climbed down the ladder and rounded the corner in time to meet her at the back steps. She jumped. A little yelp escaped before she could cover her mouth with her hand.
    “What the hell are you doing here?”
    Daniel knew her growled question was more a reaction to the surprise than indicative of true anger. He smiled, hoping the 46
    Michele Zurlo
    expression that charmed hundreds of women would work on the only one who mattered. “You said you lost some shingles.” The smile must have mollified her a little. She stammered, looking from him to her roof and back before gathering her wits. “I didn’t mean for you to replace them. I called the insurance company.
    They sent out someone this morning. That’s why I was late to work.” Daniel’s smile didn’t fade. God, but she was beautiful. Those almond-shaped brown eyes were tilted up at the corners, making them catlike. Feline was a good description of his Lainie. She was smart, sleek, and skittish. He knew she had claws, and he longed to sandwich her between him and Evan and make her purr. “Who put the tarp up there?”
    A breeze lifted a strand of hair from her ponytail, blowing it across